Sketchbooks
by thescissoring
Summary: Caroline grinned and flipped the page, her smile faltering slightly. In the bottom corner of a page was a simple sketch of her and Max kissing. It made her feel things that she only let herself feel in the middle of the night when she was alone… "I forgot that one was in there," Max said.
1. Chapter 1

**I should be working on my WIPs.**

* * *

><p>God, Max is such a slob, Caroline thought as she threw some of Max's dirty socks into a laundry basket; they were everywhere. Somehow she and Max had ended up with different schedules, and she decided to take advantage of the day off and clean the apartment. Well, try to clean the apartment. It seemed no matter how much she scrubbed, tidied, or swept their home was never truly clean. At first it had really bothered Caroline that she was living in a constant state of disorganization, but eventually she had had to let it go. That didn't stop her from trying to get Max to clean up after herself though. And truthfully, Max wasn't all that messy, she was just really not good at staying organized. Caroline brought the laundry basket into Max's room and surveyed the area. Obviously under Max's bed was the worst, and while Caroline was reluctant to come in contact with the floor, she knew it had to be cleaned. She pulled her hair into a bun and got to work.<p>

Among empty beer bottles and boxes of stuff, there were even more dirty socks, and Caroline rolled her eyes at the sight of them. She was willing to bet that Max just bought more socks when she couldn't find any instead of looking for them. She found at least twenty socks, making a mental note to dump them on Max's bed once they were clean. Maybe then she could convince her to actually put them away. She moved the box of gnomes, an old pizza box (she didn't dare look to see if there was anything left in it), and even more socks, revealing a large, flat box of art supplies. Caroline's heart swelled at the idea of Max pursuing something else that she was passionate about. Curious to see what was in the box, Caroline grabbed a hold of it and shuffled out from under the bed.

Caroline sat cross-legged on the floor and rummaged through the box. There was a carton of oil pastels that looked expensive and well used; Caroline made another mental note to see if she could try and find nice ones that weren't too expensive. Max had neat canvas rolls of paintbrushes, palettes covered in dried watercolors, and multiple boxes of paint tubes. Caroline briefly wondered how and where Max had gotten it all, but figured she'd just collected them over the years. What really caught Carolines attention was the sketchbooks lining the bottom of the box. There were ten or so, all with a year neatly printed on the cover. Caroline picked up the book labeled 2013, her hand poised to open it, but she hesitated. Was this a total violation of Max's privacy?

Yes, she answered herself. But still… she was almost desperate to see what was inside. She didn't think she had ever seen any of Max's artwork, save for the occasional offensive doodle. She dropped the book back into the box and shoved the whole thing away from her. To distract herself, she kept cleaning, putting all of the dirty clothes she found into bags to bring to the laundromat (she was almost certain all of Max's socks would be a whole load by themselves). All the liquor bottles went into another bag along with the pizza box and various snack wrappers. Under the bed looked much cleaner than it had before, but Caroline decided to stop before Max got home. She put gnomes back where they belonged, the art supplies too, and left the room [almost] the way she had found it.

Caroline got in the shower after putting the bags either in the trash or by the front door to bring them to the laundromat the next day. Max's floor wasn't particularly dirty, but Caroline was sure some questionable substances had come in contact with it at some point. She absentmindedly started washing her hair, unable to keep her mind off of what might be in those sketchbooks. Maybe Max, who only rarely shared her true feelings with anyone, let everything out with art, and maybe that was why there were so many books. Caroline sighed and finished washing quickly. She was getting out of the shower when she heard Max's key in the door.

"Max!" Caroline called from in the bathroom, pulling a towel around herself and running into the living room.

"What? God you're like a puppy." Caroline just grinned and gestured around the room.

"Doesn't it look great in here?" Max took a look around and smirked.

"You cleaned again," she said. "I knew I kept you around for a reason."

Caroline followed Max into the kitchen, deciding that since Max seemed to be in a good mood, it was as good a time as any to tell her where else she had cleaned.

"I kind of cleaned under your bed, too." It came out rushed and sort of panicky, but Caroline breathed easier when she saw Max wasn't angry as she had expected her to be.

"Okay," Max said, eating another potato chip straight from the bag. "At least now I don't have to."

Caroline was confused.

"You're not furious?" Caroline asked, not sure if testing her luck was a good idea.

Max shrugged.

"Not really. You've already seen the gnomes, and I was going to show you the sketchbooks eventually… Did you look at them?"

"Almost."

"Ha! I didn't see that coming. I totally thought you would… Do you want to?"

"Sure."

Caroline was surprised. Truthfully, surprised wasn't even the right word. She had been so sure that Max was going to be furious, that the idea of her being okay with it had never even crossed her mind. She quickly put on her Eiffel tower pajamas, not caring that it was barely eight o'clock, and went into Max's room. Max was already sitting on her bed and out of her work clothes, now wearing sweatpants and an old T-shirt. Caroline noticed Max had abandoned her socks on the floor and felt a twinge of frustration; she let it go, joining Max on the bed. The box of art supplies was sitting in front of them.

"Go ahead pick one," Max said, hugging her knees to her chest. She was a little nervous about Caroline seeing her artwork, but Caroline knew basically everything about her anyway, so she tried to let it go. But Caroline just had to pick up the book marked 2013. Max tensed up and hoped Caroline would pick another one.

Caroline opened the book, shocked when she saw her own face looking up at her. she flipped the page and saw another drawing of herself. The next page was the same, another picture of her, this time with Max. she recognized it; it was a drawing of a picture Earl had taken of them on New Years Eve the year before.

"Max… what is all this?"

Max pursed her lips and shrugged.

"Don't get cocky or anything but you're pretty and fun to draw… especially when I draw you hanging over a shark tank." She sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't pick that one."

"It's the one I almost opened earlier… Max, I'm so flattered. You're an amazing artist, I mean it."

"Oh shut up," Max dismissed her. She was embarrassed from the praise and half hoping half dreading that Caroline would catch on to the major crush she had on her.

"I do mean it! You're so talented."

"Thanks."

Caroline grinned and flipped the page, her smile faltering slightly. In the bottom corner of a page was a simple sketch of her and Max kissing. It made her feel things that she only let herself feel in the middle of the night when she was alone…

"Max-"

"I forgot that one was in there," Max said, snatching the book from Caroline's hands. She blushed furiously.

"No, it's okay… I liked it."

Caroline could hear Max grinding her teeth, something she only knew her to do when she was frustrated.

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked, touching Max's shoulder.

"Not really."

Caroline leaned forward and kissed Max's cheek.

"Now?"

"A little."

Caroline laughed and pulled Max close to her, kissing her softly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, no, I didn't drop off the face of the Earth. Here's a long overdue update.**

* * *

><p>"Will you hold still? Quit wiggling." Max was sitting across from Caroline on the floor, hunched over a sketchpad. The object of her artwork was Caroline herself, who was posed on the sofa, her hair pulled into a sleek braid.<p>

"All the heiresses have portraits done," Caroline had said, a dreamy look on her face, and Max rolled her eyes. "Would you do mine, please?" Max complied, of course, unable to refuse when Caroline batted her eyelashes.

"My back itches," Caroline complained.

"Then scratch it. Just stop moving."

Caroline reached behind herself and scratched the spot just between her shoulder blades. She let out a sigh of relief and Max glared at her until she resumed her pose.

Max was sitting cross-legged on the floor in sweatpants and a T-shirt, and green and blue mismatched socks. It was no Sunday best, but Caroline thought Max looked divine. Caroline wondered if Max knew how beautiful she really was, with her cream skin and dusky rose lips (Caroline had seen the name of her lipstick).

She watched Max put so much effort into capturing the details of her face, transferring them to paper: the way her braid hung over her shoulder, and the curlicues of hair over her ears that never lay flat. Abruptly Max stopped, tossing her pencil aside and getting off of the floor. She dropped the sketchbook in Caroline's lap, trying to hide her pride when Caroline praised her.

"Oh my god, Max! This is so good!"

"You're so vain," Max teased, but she was smiling. She was so happy that Caroline liked it.

"You're really a wonderful artist, Max," Caroline said with such love in her voice it made Max's knees weaken. She sat beside Caroline, their shoulders touching.

"Thanks."

"I wish I could do something for you too," Caroline said wistfully, though she had already been planning a small favor. She had been putting aside a couple of dollars from each paycheck, trying to save for a set of new oil pastels for Max. The ones Max already had were worn down to almost nothing, with torn wrappers and smears of other colors running through them. The set Caroline was hoping to buy cost thirty dollars, and she already had twenty-five. With any luck, she would be able to get them the next day. She also wanted to buy Max a couple new sketchbooks, but those would have to wait a week or two. The only reason Max was running out of space to draw was because she had taken to drawing Caroline more often, usually at Caroline's request, but Max was happy to do it; she enjoyed spending the quiet time with her.

"Did you ever think about pursuing art as a career?" Caroline asked, tucking a piece of Max's hair behind her ear.

"Yeah. But then it would be work and I hate working. I just wanted it to be something that I like."

"Fair enough."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Although-"

"Oh come on, Caroline, can't it just be something I like doing and not something I have to make money off of?" Max angled herself to look Caroline in the eye.

"I'm just saying… You have real talent. Like, extraordinary talent. I wish you'd share it with the world." Caroline tucked the same piece of hair behind Max's ear again. It always curled in such a way that it stuck out.

Max shook her head.

"I already did."

"What? When?"

"Caroline… Ugh I hate when you corner me into saying this mushy shit… You are basically my whole world. And I shared it with you. So."

Caroline beamed as Max picked at an imaginary piece of fuzz on her pants.

"I'm your whole world?" Caroline asked, her voice thickening with emotion.

"Oh don't get too worked up, it was between you and the horse. Although he does smell better," Max deflected. But she smiled warmly and took Caroline's hand.

"Hm… Why don't you come clean up with me then? "

Max's stomach flip-flopped with excitement. It had been weeks since they had kissed for the first time, and they had kissed since then, but they hadn't talked about anything more than that, and Max was surprised that Caroline was the first one to mention it. They had spent the last few weeks getting to know each other in a different way; they were becoming more comfortable with each other, more intimate in a non-sexual way. Caroline unabashedly snuggled into Max while they fell asleep, and Max felt no need to make snide comments to fill silence. They were comfortable together and it made Max feel secure for the first time. But that's not to say she hadn't thought about what Caroline was like in bed. It's all she had thought about for ages, way before Caroline even knew she liked her.

"Welllll?"

"What… What?" Max had zoned out, imagining Caroline naked, her skin glistening and steam swirling all around.

"I need a shower… Join me?"

Max's breath was shallow, and she was suddenly aware of every point of contact between the two of them. Her cheeks were on fire and all she wanted to do was pull Caroline close and kiss her for hours.

"Okay."

They stood, and Caroline led Max by the hand into the bathroom. She turned the dial and water came pouring out of the shower head. Max pulled Caroline close to her and stood on her toes to kiss her. Max moaned into Caroline's mouth while tugging at the hem of Caroline's shirt. She pulled it up over her head and tossed it aside, exposing Caroline's firm, tanned stomach.

Caroline made light work of tearing off Max's shirt while she kicked off the heeled shoes she was wearing, coming down closer to Max's level. She trailed kisses along Max's jawline and neck, touching her lips to every exposed bit of skin she could. She reached behind Max's back to undo her bra as steam finally began clouding the air.

"Oh god I want you so bad," Caroline muttered as she pulled away from Max. She stripped down until she was completely naked and climbed into the shower, gesturing for Max to follow her. Max shed her clothes and joined her girlfriend, loving how Caroline was taking charge.

Caroline pulled Max close and ran her hands over her stomach, her hips, finally resting on her ass, giving it a light squeeze with both hands. Her lips trailed kisses over Max's chest, finally stopping at her breasts. She traced circles over the silky flesh with her tongue, and pulled one nipple into her mouth, suckling gently. Her hand reached for the other nipple, rolling it between her fingers.

"Wait," Max gasped.

"What?" Caroline asked, stopping everything. She wanted to make sure Max was okay.

"This isn't going to work," Max said, and Caroline's face faltered before Max realized what she had said.

"Okay, we can stop."

"No no, I mean, wait." Max straightened up and moved out from under the water. "I want to feel _you. _Not the gross shower curtain, or the moldy bath mat, you know? I want you. I _want _you."

"Max…" Caroline trailed off, giving her that _look. _"Okay. Your bed. Now."

They turned off the water and padded across the apartment into Max's room. Max sat on the edge of her bed and waited for instruction.

"Lie back," Caroline said, her voice husky, something Max found incredibly sexy. She leaned back onto her elbows while Caroline got on her knees in front of her. and nudged her knees apart. She kissed Max's thighs, up and up until she reached her center, dripping wet and warm, her swollen clit poking out between the slick folds.

"What do you want?"

"You."

That was all Caroline needed to hear. She lowered her mouth to Max's center, licking her fully a few times before circling her clit with her tongue, making max quiver with pleasure. With one hand she reached up and pushed Max all the down onto the bed, and with the other she entered Max with one finger, relishing the feeling of her walls around her.

Max's breath quickened and she clutched the sheets tightly in one hand, the other hand at her breasts toying with her nipples.

Caroline sucked Max's clit into her mouth and teased it with her tongue, making Max gasp and arch her back.

"Oh my god… How did you… get so good at this?" Max asked between breaths.

Caroline added another finger, thrusting harder and hitting just the right spot. Max's wetness pooled in Caroline's hand telling her that whatever she was doing was right. She pulled her mouth away from Max and thrust harder in and out, her other hand rubbing Max's clit in circles. Max's thighs shook, her back arched and she came hard, squirting over Caroline's chest.

"Oh my god, Caroline!" Max caught her breath while aftershocks rippled through her. "I've never done that before," she sighed, sitting up. Her eyes were heavy and she was dopy from pleasure. The sight of Caroline covered in her wetness was hotter than anything she could have imagined. She reached out and took Caroline's hand, and took one of her soaked fingers into her mouth.

"Come here," Max said, and Caroline straddled her, her dripping center rubbing against Max's.

They kissed hard, and Max flipped Caroline over so she was on her back.

"Your turn."


End file.
